Women's & Gender Studies

Information for Undergraduate Students

Overview - What is Women's & Gender Studies?

The university offers a minor in WGS. Goals of the minor include helping students
reinterpret concepts of gender and gendered identities in different social, cultural,
and political contexts. Additionally, some women's studies courses fulfill the Social
and Behavioral Sciences, Individual or Group Behavioral Sciences, and the Core Language,
Philosophy & Culture (aka Humanities) requirements.

Application Process

To pursue a minor in WGS, you should first contact your academic advisor. Both your
academic advisor and the WGS advisor will work with you to complete the process necessary
to declare your minor.

Courses

How to declare WGS?

WGS as a Concentration (Online Students) - Students interested in pursuing a degree in University Studies
with an area of concentration in WGS must complete all of the degree requirements
for the chosen degree. You must complete a minimum of 18 hours from the list of WS
courses. The required courses for WS minor are WS: 2300, 4310, and 4399. The remaining
9 hours can be selected from the approved WS minor cross-list. Please see the academic
advisor for WS, Patricia Earl, email: patricia.a.earl@ttu.edu.

WGS as a Minor - Students in other degree programs may seek a minor in WGS by taking 18 hours WS
courses approved by the WS Advisor. The required courses for WS minor are WS: 2300,
4310, and 4399. The remaining 9 hours can be selected from the approved WS minor cross-list.
Please see the academic advisor for WS, Patricia Earl, email: patricia.a.earl@ttu.edu.

What can I do with an education in WGS?

Whether students are choosing to go into fields of study such as Business Administration,
Medicine, Law or Public Relations, courses in women's studies provide critical professional
development. Having experience in women's studies will give you the following skills
to help in a number of possible careers.

Teaching

To teach about women and men in non-sexist ways is one of the biggest challenges faced
by teachers and professors at all levels of education.

Policy

To understand public policy questions which revolve around assumptions about what
women and men do, assumptions that are rapidly changing as men and women push for
equality at home and at work.

Journalism

To write about women's issues – from analysis of the gender gap in wages to media
images of women– requires a thorough grounding in women's history, experience, and
modes of expression.

Marketing

Understanding that market research and advertising may be based on sexist interpretations
that are "bad for business" is useful in product development.

Business

Knowing that product design may reflect views of gender behavior no longer appropriate
to vast segments of the market is essential for good business.

Management

Being a good manager involves understanding workers lives to be a major factor in
productivity, as lives often based in work-family arrangements.

Global

Realizing that many facets of international business rely on women as industrial workers
and as agricultural laborers, especially in the global south is crucial for future
policy development.